Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [preventive-maintenance]

39 questions
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What do I need to do to keep my car healthy during an extended period of minimal use

Due to corona virus restrictions, my driving has been reduced to occasional 5 mile round trips to the grocery store. To avoid problems from it just sitting for a week or two between short trips are there precautionary measures I should be taking…
Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight
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Should I perform my first oil change at 1000 miles, or when the manual says?

I've read in various places that you should perform your first oil change on a new car at 1,000 miles or so. But the exact miles are available in the owner's manual. The owner's manual only states to change the oil every 5,000 miles. Should I go…
Evorlor
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Why have I had to replace so many exhaust pipes?

My largest car maintenance cost is exhaust pipes, mostly catalytic converters. I do not think this is the case for most people. What am I doing wrong? I tend to buy cheap cars (<£500), change the oil myself, get the brakes changed when they squeak…
User65535
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2005 Scion 135k miles has never had manual transmission fluid changed. Should I change it now, or better to leave it alone?Does a manual even need it?

Car is standard, purchased 2 years ago. To my knowledge the previous owner did not change it. Most guys seem to say you might as well leave it alone once it gets past a certain point, old and black. So as not to cause even worse damage. I get that…
Elcucuy
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'05 Scion tC, bought used. 145k miles , unknown if spark plugs were ever changed. Should I change 'em?

No funky smoke colors, no issues, runs like a champ. Just don't know if it was ever done before or not. Bought at 92k, car is now at 145k miles Leave well enough alone or change 'em?
Elcucuy
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Cracks near the tyre tread. Are they concerning?

The guy at the tyre shop tried to convince me that my tyres need replacement. My car is just above 2 years old and I plan to change them after 3 years. Please have a look at the picture and advise.
Ammar Hassan
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Do you need to replace a timing chain?

I have a "2012 PASSAT SEL PREMIUM 2.5L Auto" with about 92k miles on it. Around 60k, I have asked my local car mechanic to do the Timing Belt, and he informed me that according to the search he ran by the VIN number the 2012 VW Passat has a timing…
KingsInnerSoul
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Zerk caps for trailer bearings — Installation, tools, and supplies

In a related question, Tools and supplies for roadside trailer bearing repair, @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 said: Something to think about is to worry about preventive maintenance more than worrying about having a breakdown on the road. If I were you, I'd put zerk…
User1974
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Dropped a rubber stopper in the engine bay of new vehicle

I recently bought a 2022 Chevy Equinox and cracked the hood for the first time. While doing so I mistakenly forced a hood rubber stopper loose, that fell somewhere in the engine bay. I looked around for it with a flashlight but couldn't locate it.…
Cdn_Dev
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Can I wax these specific blue parts of my motorcycle?

So I got overwhelmed by many doubts regarding waxing. I'm new to riding and maintenance. This is my first motorcycle. It has a metal fuel tank with glossy blue metallic paint. The non metal parts (highlighted by yellow arrows) also have exact same…
Vikas
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When to replace tires by tread depth

I just went to the mechanic to do a 60k checkup on my car. He suggested to replace my tires and said my tire tread depth was 5/32 at the front and 4/32 in the rear. I remember growing up and being told to replace at 2/32 of tread. I declined…
Classified
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Short trip city car - How often to take it for a highway jaunt to burn off condensation / carbon?

I live in a very urban area and work remotely. As such my car only gets driven once every week or so and when it is driven, it is usually only to somewhere a few miles away. I know this is not good for the car. How often should I take it on the…
Karmapolice
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Should I worry about the battery performance when not using my Xiaomi M365 not being used for a long time?

Before SARS-CoV-2 hit the world, I use to regularly ride my electrical scooter (Xiaomi M365) for commuting. Due to the epidemic the country entered an emergency state and we are all forced to sit @ home unless it is really necessary to go out…
Alexei
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How much time driving at operating temperature is adequate to boil off condensation in the engine, exhaust, and gasoline?

Let's say I drive for a total of 20 mins, round trip, each day for 4 days a week (a normal commute to the train station each day for work). The problem is that it's likely not enough time to hit operating temperature and remain at operating…
Narcotixs
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Does putting your car in park during extended stops during trips prevent transmission from overheating?

We've all been there, waiting on a train at a railroad crossing, or stuck in a traffic jam that doesn't appear to be going anywhere for awhile. Well transmissions are designed to my understanding for you to go, much more so then to stay the brakes…
Travis
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